R.I.P. Philip J. Reed (1981 - 2022), the creator of Larry Vales

[edmundito]

Hey folks, I just found out that Simple / Philip J. Reed passed away less than a year ago on August 10, 2022, at the age of 41, in Colorado. Sadly, it was suicide. He was interred across New York City in his hometown in New Jersey. I couldn't find a post in the forum about this, so I thought I'd share.

Philip was the creator of the Larry Vales series. Larry Vales, along with Yahtzee's Rob Blanc series, were some of the first games that showcased what could be built with AGS, and which attracted members to our community. The last we heard of him was around 2009 when he was working on a Larry Vales remake (forum post.)

After his time as an AGS developer, Philip became a fairly known author, blogger, and pop culture writer. He was known for his reviews of episodes of the TV show ALF and a book about Resident Evil.

Obituary:
https://www.sbmortuary.com/obituary/Philip-Reed

His Blog Archive (Content Warning: the last post was a suicide note):
https://noiselesschatterarchive.blogspot.com

Here's Philip talking about Resident Evil:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9LJ7LXQnW4

Articles remembering him:
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/08/in-memory-of-philip-j-reed-writer-and-nintendo-life-contributor
https://bossfightbooks.com/blogs/news/remembering-friend-and-author-philip-j-reed
https://meblogwritegood.com/2022/08/18/rip-philip-j-reed-and-a-me-blog-write-good-announcement/
https://www.ganymede.tv/2022/08/philip-j-reed-rip/

Borrowed from one of the articles above:
"Philip used to fundraise for The Trevor Project, a charity providing mental health resources and free crisis prevention for LGBTQ youth. If you'd like to make a donation in his name, you can do so here."

 

[DBoyWheeler]

Crap!  I... had no idea.

He will be dearly missed.
 

[Privateer Puddin']

Thanks for posting this edmundito

Playing Larry Vales 1 is one of my fondest AGS memories, running on to the AGS IRC to tell Pessi all about it.

Rest in peace Phil.

 

[Gilbert]

Aw Really bad news.

RIP Phil.



I seem to have not used the LV smiley enough, but the smiling head is both appropriate and inappropriate here now,

[Rincewind]

Oh no, that's genuinely heartbreaking. I never read his writings outside of the forums, but Larry Vales 1 and 2 were some of the first AGS games I ever played, and definitely a huge reason for trying out AGS and coming to the forums back in the days. R.I.P, Phil.   

[Snarky]

That is sad news. I never knew him, but Larry Vales has certainly left its mark on the AGS community, still appearing in the banner on the front page, as a forum emoji, and as a trophy in the AGS Awards. Thank you for letting us know, @edmundito.

[Kastchey]

 

[shaun9991]

Terrible news. Such an early AGS trailblazer!

RIP Phil

[Dave Gilbert]

This was a gutpunch I hadn't been expecting. Jesus. Edmundo and I were just talking about him the other day.

Once upon a time, Larry Vales was THE game. It was one of the first complete games to be made in the engine, and Phil himself was a pillar of this community when it was in its infancy. He pre-dated ME joining, and I joined in 2001!

I didn't know him well. I chatted with him occasionally on this forum, on IRC (back when that was a thing) and the social medias. He always seemed like a genuinely sweet and funny guy. I had no idea he was going through so much. I am heartbroken that he passed almost a year ago and I never even knew. As Robin Williams famously said: "Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always."

Dang it. Belated RIP, Phil. Dunno what to say.   

[Stupot]

This is sad news. My condolences to those who knew him well.

[Blackthorne]

This news hit me like a hammer. Larry Vales was, like, one of the initial experiences I had with AGS. Definitely one of the games that spurred me on to learn the engine and create my own games with it.  It was legendary in the early days... reading this just makes me incredibly sad. It's hard to hear about someone struggling so bad. Rest in Peace.


Bt

[Dualnames]

What can be said about Philip J Reed.

Truth is people attribute Larry Vales to him, but it's so much more, Philip single handedly almost created proof of concept, and made people believe in AGS. His contribution is immeasurable to the engine, and a debt that imho cannot be repaid. Without Philip, we wouldn't be here. It's sad that the wall keeps populating.

[Ponch]

I'm genuinely stunned. Larry Vales was the reason I found AGS. What a loss. 

[kconan]

  Looking through his blog posts he seemed like a very thoughtful person, in addition to everything he's done for AGS.  Vales certainly helped set the AGS hook in me - what a great character and great series!

  RIP

[LimpingFish]

Larry Vales was the reason I found AGS.

Me too.

Here's to you, Mr. Reed.

RIP ...and thanks.

[ThreeOhFour]

What a loss, he did so much for this community. Thanks for everything, Phil. 

[Danvzare]

While I may have never actually spoke to him in any form (it seems as though his last active date was before I even joined), I did know him thanks to his lasting impact on AGS. So this is quite sad news.

Rest in peace Phil. 

[Khris]

My condolences to the people who knew him

If anybody wants to play Larry Vales I and II, you need Dosbox and this:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/0iy1fuqdbjqs4aw/LarryVales.zip?dl=1

[SinSin]

Such a shame.
    Peace be with you and God speed..

[Khris]

Such a shame and so so young, RIP JimReed.

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/profile/Jim+Reed/ is still alive, afaik.
This thread is about the creator of the Larry Vales games